Jack's Nightmare
by Batgirl13
Summary: Jack has a nightmare and wakes up. But who's there when he wakes up? Warning: It can get a bit morbid
1. Chapter 1

_I'm falling, down into the darkness. It gets colder and colder. The cold becomes warmer as my body adjusts. My last breath is replaced with water. Water all around me filling my lungs. It feels like an eternity staying there. struggling to go up. I take one last look upwards and see light. A figure but it all becomes dark as I become unconscious._

* * *

I jerk awake gasping for air. My breathing slows and i look around. I'm in the guest room at Santoff Claussen that was tailored for my needs. I calm down some and curl around my staff and try to sleep. I close my eyes and attempt to sleep. After 20 minutes I open my eyes, a figure sits at the edge of my bed. It's looking at straight at me. My eyes adjust to the darkness yet again and I notice that the figure is gold... Sandy?

"Hey Sandy, Watchya doing here?" I ask sleep still embedded in my voice. He makes signs of a boy sleeping, then the boy starts to toss and turn as if having...a nightmare. So that's why he came. He must have heard me having a nightmare and must have came to see what was wrong. "Did I wake you Sandy?" He nods in reply. "Was I that loud?" Another nod. He signs a question mark above his head. "Are you asking me why **I **woke up?" Yet another nod, I'm getting tired of him only nodding. "Oh it's nothing, I'll go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you." Sandy crosses his arms and sits on my stomach giving me a 'no nonsense' look. He signs an ear out of his dream sand, signaling me to tell him what the nightmare was about.

"Oh the dream I was having?" I hesitate before continuing,"It was about the events just before I died." Sandy looks sympathetic but ushers for me to tell more. "When I died, I drowned. And I died in that lake that's in Burgess. Me and my sister were going to go ice skating, the ice-the ice wasn't thick enough and it cracked under her feet." My voice started to crack as i fought back tears and relived that moment over in my head. "I grabbed a stick," I gestured to my staff, "and pulled her out of the way but we ended up switching places. The next thing I know I'm hearing her screams and falling into the ice cold lake. And I drowned." I blinked furiously and shook my head trying to get that image of her crying out of my head. "I can't help but feel like I abandoned her."

Sandy stared at me for a while, but i couldn't decipher what he meant. Then he moved from his spot on my abdomen and lets me sit up. His arms circle around me in a very comforting hug. I let all my tears flow, allowing them to freeze on my face and fall on the bed.

After a while I calmed down. Sandy laid me on the bed and tucked me in. I watched as he, for the first time, 'wrote' in his sand 'Good night Jack'. He commanded a string of dream sand to come towards me. I watched as it twisted in the most intricate ways until it stopped and circled around my head. I became drowsy and fell asleep on spot. Sandy left the room and left me to my dream. It was me and my sister playing like we used to and her telling me she would always love me no matter what.

* * *

The next morning just before breakfast I caught Sandy and asked him to eat with me. At the table I had cold porridge and a glass of milk, joy. Sandy had bacon and eggs with orange juice. "Sandy, thanks for last night." He patted my back and made multiple clocks on his head. "Yeah anytime, I can always count on you." And with that we ate our breakfast with a comfortable silence, that is, until The Kangaroo came.


	2. Chapter 2

Guests, Courage84905, Harmony616, Dbztron2: You guys made my day and gave me this idea! Thank them...

* * *

It was just after midnight. Three weeks after my battle with Pitch. I can still hear his voice, feel his sickly yellow eyes gazing into mine. He continues to convince me to leave the Guardians.

_They don't love you. How could they? 300 years is a long time to be alone. If they really care you wouldn't have been alone. You never would've had that pain. I know that pain. I can help you get through that, even overcome that fear. I know the tricks people have used to overcome the fears I exploit in their nightmares. I understand. They never will Jack... They never will..._

I get up from my bed and float slowly and silently to the kitchen. I don't want to wake anyone. I've already had an encounter with Sandy. I feel bad he worried over me. But he is the Sandman, he must have sensed my unrest. Shaking these thought, I arrived to the refrigerator. I took out a glass and a gallon of milk, then set it on the counter as I moved to find the cookie jar. They say milk and cookies are good for midnight snacks, I mean North has them all the time.

Then I noticed a large figure holding the jar. Oh it's Bunny. Great and he's cuddled around the jar with crumbs on his whiskers. How am I going to get the jar without waking him? I use my staff to poke him and hope he changes his position so I can get the cookies. I poke him three times and he twitches. Another two times and he swats my staff away. But this leaves enough time to grab the jar.

As soon as I have the jar I guess he noticed the jar was gone and he woke up. I froze while plating some of the cookies for myself. We stared at each other for the longest time.

"So mate, you want to explain why you stole my cookies?"

"Last I heard they were everyone's and you weren't using them so I took'em off your han-er paws."

Bunnymund sighed, "Fine, ya got me there Frost. Why you up so late?"

"I was hungry," Pointing to the milk and cookies on the counter.

Bunnymund came over and poured himself a glass of milk and warmed it up. Then he took a chair and sat next to me, "Listen ,Jack, I get relapses from the fight too. You don't need to hide it."

"How'd you know?" I wondered, I never made any indication that I was scared.

"I'm a guardian Jack. I can tell when a kid has a nightmare or not, part of the gig y'know?" I remained silent and stared at him.

"Wanna tell me what it was about at least?"

I looked down embarrassed I dipped a cookie in my cold milk and bit part of it off. Then I had a thought, "Say Bunny, why are you here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he copied my previous action of biting the cookie.

I sighed, "I'll tell you if you tell me."

"Well in that case, well, I got scared." I was confused, what does Bunnymund have to be afraid of?

"You were scared?" I asked before i drowned my cookie and ate it before it became too soggy and fell.

"Yes, I um... was being chased by greyhounds, but they were controlled by Pitch. And they almost got me too. Their eyes were dark and soulless, they were totally bent on takin' a bite outta me. I was in my unbelieved state, much slower than usual. Then I woke up and here I am. So I believe it's your turn?"

I gulped, but nodded and started,"It was when Pitch was trying to recruit me, he was saying a lot of things like how you guys didn't love me and things like that. I couldn't take it anymore so I woke up so try and have milk and cookies to comfort me, ans then I found you..." I stopped unsure how to react to Bunnymund's expression.

"Mate, Jack, y'know we do love you like one of our own. Nothing will change that anymore. You showed us that you were loyal, and MiM even accepted you as a Guardian. And either way mate, if you have any trouble you can always come to me." Bunnymund pulled me into a warm embrace. I inhaled the scent of his Warren that still lingered on his fur. Floral and paint scented. I smiled and returned the hug being comforted in the softness of his fur until I fell into a dreamless slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

_Total darkness. Suffocating, threatening... Yet alluring... Two Golden orbs stare from straight ahead._

_"Come here Jack, I'll keep you safe. The Dark is your friend not your enemy," Pitch. Great him again. But for some reason my leg move me forward as if with a mind of their own. As I near the mesmerizing lights the rest of his body comes into view. Though i can only make out his figure. Behind him are my friends. The Guardians and my first believers. But they all have some sort of weapon pointed at me._

_"Go away, Jack," Jamie? "We don't want you here."_

_I reach out to touch him but watch in horror as my touch freezes him. His small frame thuds against the ground as he collapses in hypothermia. What have I done?_

I jerk awake and hit my head on something soft yet firm. I open my eyes and see Tooth sitting on my stomach her eyes glued to mine worriedly.

"Um... Tooth? There a reason you're on my stomach?"

She quickly hovers off of me and onto the side of the bed blushing madly, "Sorry Jack, It's just that you looked like you were having a nightmare and..." She trailed off, obviously speechless for once.

I decided not to tell her anything and play it cool- oh look a pun! "No nightmare, Pitch was taken care of a while ago." I gently lift myself up to a sitting position and and take a better look a her. She's a bit more frazzled than usual and her face is creased with worry lines. And she obviously doesn't buy my lie.

"Jack, don't you dare lie to me mister." Her expression quickly changes to that similar to a mother berating her child after they fall. Worried and concern mixed with a good combination.

"Mind telling me what's been troubling you?"

I let out a long sigh, Is there any way to keep something hidden from these people?! "I was afraid." Thinking it to be a sufficient answer i gestured to the door, "You can go i'm fine now."

Now it was her turn to sigh, "Jack you don't have to be afraid, We trust you. You won't hurt us."

I widened my eyes in shock, how did she know? My powers cause nothing but cold, numbing pain. I may be the guardian of fun but pain can come from fun as well.

I hesitate a bit before continuing, "How do you know i won't accidently freeze someone or something?"

Tooth laughed at me. What was so funny?! Did i look stupid or something? I just woke up! I quickly straightened some of my hair before Tooth stopped me.

"Jack, i know you wouldn't because you seem to have a fine grip on your powers. You wouldn't have been chosen if you didn't. And besides, you freeze elves all the time and they turn out fine... Well fine for them."

Now i chuckled. Sure i tended to freeze the elves out of annoyance before, but never someone i cared about. "If you say so..." I'm not really sure how what happened next came to be but I was more concerned about her. She hugged me. I still wasn't used to physical contact but I liked it. She was warm. Then it struck me- she's warm and I'm freezing. I gently pried her off of me. She was covered in frost.

"I'm so sorry Tooth I didn't mean to!"

Tooth giggled, "See Jack? I'm perfectly fine. You don't freeze people to death on contact you know."

Relieved I slumped back onto my pillow. "Thanks for the pep talk Tooth..." She tucked me in and I watched her leave through half lidded eyes as sleep took me, graciously granting me a happy dreamless night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Thank you for all your amazing reviews! Everyone requested north- so here you go! Don't worry this isn't the end of it... unless you don't review or something (shameless way of trying to get reviews- no kidding I almost abandoned this) I already had it done for a bit so READ ON! and thanks for reading :D**

* * *

Since it seems apparent that all the Guardians are aware that I'm having nightmares, I've taken to sleeping in the forest near my lake in Burgess. No one can disturb me here. I float up to a tree and lay down on a branch leaning on the trunk. Peace and quiet. Not like Santoff Clausen. Too many noises with all the toy-making going on and the elves doing things I bet North doesn't even know about. Here it's just me. No one really comes to this part of the forest. Not even Jamie at this time, he's usually at school. So it's alone time for me. I close my eyes and cuddle my staff making sure it doesn't fall out of my grip. Sleep slowly takes me and reality starts to fade away...

_I awake to find myself back in the Workshop, Surprisingly no one is here._

_"Hello? Where is everybody?" I wander around in search of someone..._

_All of a sudden I end up in the Warren, No one here either. Odd. I decide to have a look around. There are no eggs or anything. The statues lying around seem ominous, glaring down at me as if I've done something wrong. I grip my staff tighter and continue walking around. "Kangaroo?" No response... a slight echo. I don't like this, "Bunny?" Still no response._

_I wander into a dark tunnel and walk into the light at the end. I realize I'm now at Tooth's Palace. I float around in search for someone. Anyone at this point. But no one's here... Not even the mini Tooths. "Tooth? Baby Tooth? Someone?" I float into the main building and find it now unsurprisingly empty. As I keep going I eventually end up in Sandy's ship. _

_"Sandy? Is anyone here?" I'm getting scared, Am I truly alone like I was not too long ago? Great. No everyone's gone. I slowly fly back to Burgess. I look through the windows and expect to see at least someone there. But even the houses are empty. Streets, stores, and cars. It's like the whole world took a day off and didn't tell me. I sadly float back to my lake and hold my staff closer. Where has everybody gone? Am I all alone again? What will become of me? A voice calls in the distance._

_"Jack?" A girl. I quickly rush over using the wind the push me. When I get close to the voice I cant believe my eyes. It's my sister, her eyes filled with fear as they were so many years ago. Just like they were the day I died._

_"Jack? Wh-where are you?" She looks around frightened out of her mind. Then in an instant she falls into the ground. I rush after her only to have my shoulder and the ground have a very friendly meeting. I get up from the ground and groan looking around._

_"They left you, Jack..." This voice is deeper, more masculine. "They ignored you for three centuries."_

_I panic, unsure of how to react. "N-No! I have a family now." _

_ A booming laughter bounces off the nearest buildings creating an eerie feel, "Family? They've all left you. And now you're all alone. Left to die, __**Cold **__and alone." Then the world spins and everything goes black- Pitch black._

When I wake up, slowly opening my eyes, I realize I'm no longer in the tree but in someone's arms. I crane my neck up looking at who exactly happens to be carrying me- NORTH?! Oh great. I hope I don't talk in my sleep, that would be embarrassing.

"Oh good- you are awake now," His voice reverberates in his belly making a comforting sound.

"Yes, now would you please put me down?" I'm still cuddling my staff and he shakes his head.

"No, You are going to bed here. Where I keep watch on you." He smiles at me kindly and takes me to his office and sets me on his couch. "Well? You may sleep now."

Confused I sit up straight tightening my grip on my staff, "What? You brought me all the way up here to watch me sleep?"

North sighs and leans against his desk, the old wood creaking slightly, "I wanted to make you feel safe and this is only way I thought possible."

"Thanks North," I'm glad he didn't ask or pry- all he wanted to do was make me feel safe. Like I wasn't alone. This is a family,

"You are most welcome Jack, You are not alone- I'll make sure of it." He gives a hearty laugh and sits at the chair behind his desk, "Sleep Jack- you need rest."

Gratefully I lay down and close my eyes and sleep content and not afraid of being alone anymore.


End file.
